From, of course, my all time favorite newspaper in the whole world, the ever brilliant U.K. “Daily Mail”. Use link below to access original article with this graphic — which is from ‘comparecamp.com’, I see. Click image to ENLARGE.

Celibacy does NOT mean you can’t have sexual gratification!

YOU really need to know these terms properly. ‘Celibate’ is NOT what you think. I could be celibate and be very happy, content and sexually fulfilled! CLICK to ENLARGE. Use link below to access original at ‘National Catholic Register’.

So you can’t just dismiss this by saying that they hit the bottle to make up for not being able to have sex.

That would not compute. From a strict Catholic standpoint celibacy ONLY means being unmarried.

As we all know from the criminal sex abuse crisis that has engulfed the Catholic church, supposedly ‘being celibate’, has not stopped Catholic priests from molesting kids. Celibacy, as was drummed into my head when I first started covering this stuff, is very different from chastity and continence. Those at the Vatican may be celibate but I am sure that most are NOT chaste. So lets get that off the table …

Now lets be charitable.

19.5 gallons is hardly nothing!

I, and I am NOT that bigger a drinker (at least not now), drink that in a month — and I, 98% of the time, only drink ONE 50:50 diluted glass of red wine a day, though I will grant that it is a decent size, properly shaped wine glass.

19.5 gallons is 1.625 gallons a month. That really is about 8 (standard size) bottles a month. That is nothing.

PLUS, as the #2 ‘Andorra’ highlights, these consumptions numbers are distorted by the lack of population. For a start the Vatican doesn’t have (at least officially) any kids — though I am sure that there must be a few brats, the progeny of prelates (because, thank God, all Catholic prelates are NOT gay), lurking around in the vast palatial palaces. Definitely used to be the case when there used to be much more heterosexual popes in residence.

Andorra, which I have visited a few times (and is a delightful place), has a population of 85,000 (and it is sadly declining).

The Vatican City, officially (i.e., not counting the ‘stowaways’, exiles and hidden prisoners), is said to have, as of a 2014 estimate, 842. That is not true. The realistic number is close to 3,000.

*********

Lets move away from the Vatican.

What is more interesting is the appallingly low wine consumption in this country. That needs to be fixed and I will be GLAD to work on that.

Notice that Italy is NOT mentioned in the chart — and Italy, typically, overshadows France when it comes to the production of red wine. And the last I looked the Italians were partial to their wine.

Do YOU know where the heck ‘Norfolk Island‘ is? Actually do YOU know where Norfolk. I hope I am wrong BUT I have a horrible (sinking) feeling that I have never visited Norfolk. I have to have. I just can’t recall. I know I have never been to Norfolk Island. Not even close though I have crossed the Pacific at least twice.

Taken yesterday, Friday, October 3, 2014, on our driveway in Alton when he stopped by for a quick visit. Click to ENLARGE to see it in its full glory.

This is Ray. It captures his true character: genuine, fun, friendly and a VERY PROUD and dedicated Boy Scout official. I think he is a local ‘Commissioner’ (or similar) and has been involved with the Scouts ‘all’ his life, in various capacities — starting as Scout himself. He was off for a weekend of camping, in the rain, in Rochester. I thought he looked very impressive. But I gather that this was but his work uniform! He tells me his dress uniform, which he wears for parades, is grander. I will have to get a picture of Ray in that.

So, IF you don’t know Ray Howard — this is Raymond Howard, N.H. Belknap District 8 candidate. Vote for Ray. We are supporting and endorsing Ray BECAUSE he is genuinely nice guy.

Deanna, with her Panasonic shot all three of these short video clips. I couldn’t take my Canon T3i because the Verizon Wireless Arena bans, categorically, all cameras with detachable lenses! That is so arbitrary and meaningless that it borders on insanity. I could get a fixed lens camera that takes better quality images, stills and videos, that my cheap Canon T3i.

The human cannonball act by Elliana Grace is good — though we have seen other human cannonball acts before. Deanna captures it to perfection. You can see her coming out. WATCH. Definitely rewarding.

The other two clips very nicely capture the spirit and tone of this circus.

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